The orders follow months of protests by environmentalists and Native American groups in North Dakota against the Dakota Access project, a $3.8-billion pipeline that would bring crude oil from the state's Bakken oil patch through the Midwest and into the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Construction on the DA project was halted in December after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in the area so it could explore alternate routes.

Last week, the Corps gave notice of their intention to conduct an environmental impact study and seek possible other routes for the DA pipeline, thus putting all construction on hold until after the study is complete.

Trump's actions will prompt legal challenges but his orders do not grant the necessary permits that both projects require for a final approval.